the name applies more truly to a Pacific Coast variety and would 

 better be reserved for that alone. A third title by which it is 

 designated is more fitting, being that of the "jumping deer 1 ' and 

 having reference to the peculiar gait. It does not gallop, as does 

 its Virginian cousin, but progresses by a series of leaps, springing 

 upward with a quick jerky bound, propelling itself into space for 

 some distance and landing on all four feet at once. It covers ground 

 at a surprisingly swift pace, with this curious motion, although pos- 

 sibly less able to maintain its speed for as long a time as do some 

 of his kin. 



In spite of any such handicap, however, and relying upon his 

 pale reddish coat in summer with the change to steel gray in win- 

 ter to help conceal his whereabouts, the mule deer is a fearless 

 wanderer. Whether in the badlands, among the foot-hills in the 

 deep canyons of river beds, high up on the lofty plateaus, or in the 

 sloping valleys along the mountain side, he shows a security of 



28 



